Tag: bookshelf

Together By Christmas by Karen Swan [BOOK REVIEW] Together By Christmas is the perfect book to set you into a Christmas mood. Together By Christmas by Karen Swan
Book Review · Books

Together By Christmas by Karen Swan

innah961 Comment
Together By Christmas by Karen Swan [BOOK REVIEW] Together By Christmas is the perfect book to set you into a Christmas mood.

★★★★★

Ever since I participated on the Tandem Collective readalong for the Hidden Beach, I knew I would be reading more books by Karen Swan. This is my third book so far, and I am still eager to read more from her. Her writing is so captivating! So when the team at Tandem Collective , together with the team at Pan Macmillan asked me to participate to the readalong for Together By Christmas, I immediately said yes!

Synopsis:

Together By Christmas is set in Amsterdam. When Lee first came here, she had a newborn baby and a secret. Five years later, Jasper is a big boy, and Lee’s photography career is a big success. They are getting ready to celebrate Christmas with their close friends, but something unexpected happens.

Lee finds a book in her bicycle basket. And inside the book – a cry for help. Who left it there for her, and why? Lee feels the need to help and tracks down the author of the book, Sam. What she doesn’t expect though, is an instant connection with him, and a possible future. Something she has actively been running away from.

And when everything appears to be going in the right direction, Lee’s old secret comes back to haunt her. And right in time for Christmas. Suddenly, her whole life she built in Amsterdam is on the verge of collapsing. Will Christmas be able to make it all better?

My Thoughts:

Together By Christmas is not your typical Christmas story. The Hidden Beach and the Greek Escape are both set in summer, so this is the first Christmas book I read by Karen Swan. And it was exactly what I hoped it would be. The writing was beautiful, and the plot twists kept coming. It kept me on the edge until the very end.

Lee is a very complicated character and it took me a while to warm up to her. I could immediately feel the consequences of her trauma, and could understand her fear of getting attached to people. Her passion for photography is explained so well, and her love towards her son is so strong and beautiful to witness.

“As a pack race, humans have to see in order to believe and that includes photographers with both a power and a responsibility to use their craft wisely. Photographs have the power to change the world – they can spark a protest, a riot, a revolution. It is the truth in photography that keeps us all connected, keeps us accountable -“

I love that the book is set in Amsterdam, during winter. I have been to Amsterdam and the Netherlands many times, but never during winter, so this was a wonderful experience for me. The descriptions are so vivid and I felt I was there. It was wonderful to find out about Sinterklaas, as well as The Elfstedentocht – the famous ice-skating race. I also enjoyed the Stroopwafels and smiled every time they were mentioned in the book.

I loved Jasper so much! He was my favourite character in the book! For his age, he behaved so maturely and was able to emotionally understand and support his mum, which really helped her during her struggles. His excitement was so contagious! Whenever he would get excited over little things, it would make me melt.

“If we’re going to make meaningful change in our society, then we can’t keep on turning the other cheek.”

Even though I have mixed opinions about certain scenes and actions, I really enjoyed this book. And considering that this is a book about second chances, I will let this slip. It’s the perfect book to set you into a Christmas mood. Perhaps because it’s moderately Christmassy, so it won’t be too much too soon. It had beautiful Christmas scenes, a wonderful mother-son relationship, trauma, mystery and a very heartwarming romance as well. I definitely recommend it.

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK | Amazon US

Social Media:
| Wishlist | Ko-fi | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest |

Precious and the Zebra Necklace by Alexander McCall Smith
Book Review · Books

Precious and the Zebra Necklace by Alexander McCall Smith

innah96Leave a comment
Precious and the Zebra Necklace by Alexander McCall Smith [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★

Precious and the Zebra Necklace is the fourth book in the Precious Ramotswe’s Very First Cases series. However, it can be easily read as a standalone. We enter a world of the young 9-year-old Precious Ramotswe, before she becomes the detective that we know and love. I really enjoyed this book, and as all of Alexander McCall Smith’s books, it left a warm feeling in my soul after I finished it.

Synopsis:

At the age of 9, Precious has already solved a few cases, but this new one is very intriguing. A new girl arrives at school and sits next to Precious. Before the end of the day, they become best friends. Just like her, Nancy has no mother. All she has left of her mother is a beautiful Zebra necklace and a photo. This is where their adventure starts, as Precious starts investigating. They try to find a remote village, but instead end up lost in the jungle, and danger starts to loom.

My Thoughts of Precious and the Zebra Necklace:

I listened to the audiobook and it was a short, but very exciting experience. I have recently found that I do love listening to audiobooks, and really enjoy them. But they have to fall into a specific genre, and I think this book matched that part. Even though I couldn’t see the illustrations, the narrator let me into this amazing world and it felt as if I was there, together with Precious and Nancy, solving the mystery. The writing was beautiful, but I didn’t expect anything less from Alexander McCall Smith anyways. I love the original Mrs Ramotswe books, and this one fit perfectly into the whole atmosphere.

Precious and the Zebra Necklace by Alexander McCall Smith is definitely a book I’d recommend!

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK | Amazon US

Social Media:
| Wishlist | Ko-fi | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest |

The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling [BOOK REVIEW] The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling [BOOK REVIEW]

innah96Leave a comment
The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★★

I’m delighted to announce that my review of The Ickabog has been shared by Twinkl! For even more great recommendations, make sure to visit their TBR blog“

When I found out that J.K. Rowling is writing a story for children during lockdown, I didn’t really care. But they were releasing a new chapter each week, and I decided to give it a try and read the first few chapters. Maybe it was the beginning of The Ickabog, or perhaps it was J.K. Rowling’s writing that reminded me of my first time reading Harry Potter. Whatever it was, it hooked me to this story, and I kept coming back for more.

Synopsis:

Once upon a time there was a tiny kingdom called Cornucopia, as rich in happiness as it was in gold, and famous for its food. From the delicate cream cheeses of Kurdsburg to the Hopes-of-Heaven pastries of Chouxville, each was so delicious that people wept with joy as they ate them.

But even in this happy kingdom, a monster lurks. Legend tells of a fearsome creature living far to the north in the Marshlands… the Ickabog. Some say it breathes fire, spits poison, and roars through the mist as it carries off wayward sheep and children alike. Some say it’s just a myth…

And when that myth takes on a life of its own, casting a shadow over the kingdom, two children — best friends Bert and Daisy — embark on a great adventure to untangle the truth and find out where the real monster lies, bringing hope and happiness to Cornucopia once more.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed The Ickabog. It is very descriptive and full of adventure, from the very first start. From the first chapters, I immediately warmed up to Bert and Daisy, and their everyday lives. I also loved the scenes inside the castle, with the king and guards.

The world building was amazing, the Kingdom and the Marshlands were so vividly explained, it’s no wonder so many children were inspired to draw them and share those drawings. The intriguing plot twists and backstabbing scenes left me pleasantly surprised as well. What I loved the most, though, was the story about the legend of The Ickabog. This mysterious monster that everyone in the Kingdom fears. The terror that people feel as soon as its name is mentioned.

This story is obviously targeted for the young readers. And for what it is, this book does deliver. There are plenty of adventures, battles between good and evil, scenes that will prompt a discussion with the children and an ending that has a lesson to teach. I recommend it to every child that loves reading about adventures and foreign kingdoms.

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK | Amazon US

Social Media:
| Wishlist | Ko-fi | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest |

Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley
Book Review · Books

Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley

innah961 Comment
Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★

Reading Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley was a unique reading experience for me. Starting right after Halloween, it was the perfect eerie continuation of the spooky reading mood. Thank you to the teams at Tandem Collective and John Murray Press, for sending me a gifted copy of this book.

Synopsis:

The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby’s son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place.

Juliette, convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists. Richard, to try and keep the boy out of his mind, has turned his attention to the field opposite the house, where he patiently digs the barren dirt in search of a legendary oak tree.

Starve Acre is a devastating new novel by the author of the prize-winning bestseller The Loney. It is a novel about the way in which grief splits the world in two and how, in searching for hope, we can so easily unearth horror. 

My Thoughts:

The writing in Starve Acre is so descriptive and very atmospheric. You can feel that odd vibe coming from the house and the field, as well as from the characters. The plot flows nicely and it’s quite an easy and fast-paced book to read. The plot twists and escalations are unexpected, and the author leaves a lot of questions unanswered, leaving it to the reader to form a conclusion. When we chatted in the readalong group, it was interesting to see that everyone had different perceptions of different scenes, which was quite intriguing to see.

Starve Acre focuses on grief. It shows that no two experiences can be the same, and that people react very differently. It also showed the evil in a way I have never seen it written before. Such horror, such cruelty, no remorse. Just pure darkness. It made my stomach twirl a few times, and I actually enjoyed it.

Even though Starve Acre left me shocked and speechless in the end, this was a book I really enjoyed and devoured with pleasure. If you are looking for a gothic horror read this winter – this is the perfect book for you!

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK |Amazon US

Social Media:
| Wishlist | Ko-fi | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest |

Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke [BOOK REVIEW] Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke [BOOK REVIEW]

innah962 Comments
Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★★

I really enjoyed reading Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke. This book was an emotional rollercoaster, and I enjoyed every minute of that ride! Thank you to the team at Muddy Pearl Books, for sending me a copy of this book.

It’s a beautiful, but painfully raw story about a war that not only made people’s lives miserable, but also left painful wounds for generations to bear as well!

Synopsis:

Hannah Sterling was never close with her mother. And when her mum dies, Hannah learns she left secret letters for her. Intrigued to find out what her mum was hiding from her, Hannah travels to Germany, to meet the grandfather she never knew she had.

Thirty years earlier, during the second world war, in Germany, Lieselotte’s father is being promoted in his ranks of the Nazi party. He also wants his daughter to marry, as any good and reputable woman should. But Lukas, the man she loves, is not an ideal match that will keep his reputation intact. How far is he prepared to go, to ensure his daughter’s cooperation?

My Thoughts:

Secrets She Kept is written in two timelines, thirty years apart, and this was an instant hit for me. I love stories that go back and forth, with characters that are connected, and in the end, the timelines’ plots meet and reveal the full story and solve the mystery. This story was written from Hannah’s and Lieselotte’s perspectives, a daughter and a mother, both struggling in their own way. Lieselotte, trying to fight a corrupt system and help people she is forbidden to help, and Hannah, trying desperately to re-connect with her mother and get to know her more through her past.

The Second World War is still a sensitive and painful topic to discuss in the world. Too many innocent people lost their lives. And many that managed to survive were never reunited with their families. This story is about all the pain, all the grief, and all the tragedy it caused, and about a love story that could never be.

The characters in this book are written perfectly.

I was about to say that you can relate to them, but no one could relate to people that have been in those terrible camps and suffered such terror. However, Cathy brings this experience to the reader in such a way that you cannot help but fell as if you are there, suffering with them. The post-war Germany was very realistic as well, especially people’s experiences. It showed how people can manage their grief, their regrets, or how they are able to live, knowing their older generations did terrible things to innocent people. You can see that best in Hannah, when she desperately wants to help people that have been hurt. But how can you help a person, that has lost everything already?

This book made me cry so many times. It is so raw and hard to take in, and it takes a toll on you when you read. But it speaks so loud about things that happened, which shouldn’t happen, and about people’s experiences. When I was reading it, I felt as if I was there myself.

Secrets She Kept is a truly magnificent book that I wholeheartedly recommend. It is emotional and contains a lot of intriguing secrets that you, as a reader, will be slowly uncovering. I loved it, and I hope that people will continue to share these stories. A lot of bad things happened to innocent people, and that should never be forgotten, no matter how hard it may be to tell.

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK |Amazon US

Social Media:
| Wishlist | Ko-fi | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest |